From all directions, I can hear the howling of sideline commissars, as if victory depended on players executing their coach’s every instruction. I will sometimes stand at one of my daughter’s tournaments and close my eyes. During my long career as a soccer dad, I’ve watched how the tenor of American sports can drain the joy from the game. In a way, her playing style is deeply countercultural, at least by contemporary American standards. Jemele Hill: They gave America 13 goals-and got a lecture in return When certain gentleman pundits absurdly denounced her behavior as unsportsmanlike, Rapinoe unapologetically described the moment as a “explosion of joy.” After scoring a goal, Rapinoe skidded across the grass on her backside, holding her leg in the air-an inside-the-squad joke, apparently. It came during the later stages of the U.S. Earlier in the tournament, one of those celebrations became a source of controversy. To describe her style as exuberant might seem arbitrary, except for the fact that it’s so evidently part of her presence, especially her goal celebrations. If she self-censored her play, she would never take the risks that characterize her game, all those feints and jukes. In pursuit of self-expression, she permits herself moments of audacity-where she shoots from a peripheral locale or attempts to impose an implausible arc on a pass.
While her results bespeak ruthless efficacy (three goals and two assists thus far in the World Cup), she aspires to something higher. What she means is that she self-consciously thinks about her performance on the pitch as an outlet for her creativity. When she talks about soccer, she incessantly returns to the phrase self-expression. But speed was never the essence of her game. Three ACL tears have sapped her of speed. Long before she picked a fight with Donald Trump, before she took a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, Rapinoe was a player to savor. In every realm, she is fearlessly open, outrageously joyous, and unabashedly true to herself. Her genius is that her political commitments, her public persona, and her playing style are one and the same.
EFFORTLESS VICTORY CROSSWORD HOW TO
Through her example, Rapinoe has instructed the world on how to play soccer and how to dissent. women’s national soccer team has evolved into a hero of resistance. Like her pugilistic forerunner, with whom she shares sly humor and irresistible swagger, the star player on the U.S. Tell them that Megan Rapinoe is her generation’s Muhammad Ali. Have them listen to her unguarded pregame disquisitions on tactics, Donald Trump, haute couture, and well, every facet of human existence. Have them watch as she gallivants down the left flank and flummoxes a defender with a stutter step. Gather your children in front of the flatscreen and instruct them to fix their eyes on No.
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